Sander scraping attachment

ABSTRACT

A vibrating-type sander on which an attachment is mounted which advantageously uses the vibratory motion thereof to provide surface-scraping service in addition to usual sanding operation of the unit.

United States Patent 1191 MacDonald SANDER SCRAPING ATTACHMENT [76] lnventor: Alfred P. MacDonald, 60] Montauk Hwy., Bay Shore, NY. 11706 [22] Filed: Mar. 29, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 345,897

[52] US. Cl 29/76 A, 29/78, 30/169 [51] Int. Cl B23d 67/00, B23d 71/00 [58] Field of Search 30/169, 172; 29/76, 78,

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Porter 29/78 [111 3,811,160 1451 May21, 1974 3,474,512 10/1969 Hansen ,.29/76 2,951,286 9/1960 Mann 30/169 Primary ExaminerHarrison L. l-linson Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Bauer & Amer [5 7] ABSTRACT A vibrating-type sander on which an attachment is mounted which advantageously uses the vibratory motion thereof to provide surface-scraping service in addition to usual sanding operation of the unit.

' 2 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures YATENTEDHAYZI 1974 I 3811 60 saw 1 or 2 The present invention relates generally to an improved sander, and more particularly to scraping attachment for a vibrating-type sander.

Underlying the present invention is the recognition that the vibrations imparted to the sandpaper support or pad of a conventional vibrating sander can advantageously be used to power a surface-scraping edge through scraping strokes relative to a work surface or the like. Thus, if a surface contains paint, corrosion or other such covering, which is difficult to remove merely by sanding, it can first be scraped using a sander having the scraping attachment of the present invention, and the scraping attachment can then be removed and replaced by sandpaper or a similar sanding surface. Sanding and scraping treatment of surfaces now require the use of different tools, and in the rare instance where a single tool has been specified, the conversion from one use to the other has been complicated and difficult to achieve.

Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved vibrating sanding and scraping tool overcoming the foregoing and other shortcomings of the prior art. Specifically, it is an object to provide a scraper that is readily attachable to a sander and wherein the sander, during said attachment, is not required to have any significant structural modifications. Thus, after the sander is used' as a scraper, it is readily converted back to its primary use.

A sander scraping attachment demonstrating objects and advantages of the present invention is used with a vibrating-type sander having a horizontally oriented vibrating pad which is connected to power in vibration a generally flat, planar attachment body which has at least one selectively replaceable surface-scraping blade detachably mounted in depending relation from an end of the attachment body, whereby during the imparting of vibrating motion of the vibrating pad to the attachable body, said surface-scraping blade is advantageously oriented in proper facing orientation to a work surface requiring scraping.

The above description, as well as further objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be more fully appreciated by reference to the following detailed description of presently preferred, but nonetheless illustrative embodiments in accordance with the present invention, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, in disassembled condition, of a vibrating-type sander having a first embodiment of a scraping attachment according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view in which the sander is illustrated in phantom perspective and further structural features of the scraping attachment, which constitutes the invention, are illustrated in full line perspective.

FIG. 2A is a partial side elevational view, on an enlarged scale, illustrating an exemplary manner of completing the connection of the attachment to the sander.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view illustrating a second embodiment of the attachment;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a spacing bracket used in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating structural features of one preferred form of surface-scraping blade;

FIG. 6 is similarly a perspective view illustrating a second form of surface-scraping blade;

FIG. 7 is an isolated perspective view of a mounting bracket that contributes to facilitated connection of the attachment to the sander;

FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view illustrating how completion of the connection of the attachment would be made to another common type of sander; and

FIG. 8A is a side elevational view projected from FIG. 8 showing further details of the connection.

In FIG. 1, to which initial reference should be made,

there is illustrated what will be understood to be a conventional, readily commercially available sander, generally designated 10. A preferred unit is sold under the trademark Craftsman and has so-called dual-action perfonnance, i.e., orbital and straight-line sanding motion; it being understood, however, that other brands of sanders with this capability are equally capable of being utilized in accordance with the present invention. For present purposes, it suffices to know that sander 10 includes a vibrating motor 12 which imparts, in a well understood manner, a vibrating motion to a horizontally oriented vibrating pad 14 having sandpaper thereon which the user, while holding the unit by its handle 16, applies against a work surface which requires sanding. Sander 10 also includes at its opposite ends gripping means 18 and 20 which are effective in exerting a friction hold on the end of a sheet of sandpaper which is mounted flush against the underside of the pad 14 and has its said opposite ends disposed in the gripping areas 22 and 24 at the interface of gripping fingers 26 and 28 and the grippers 18, 20.

As a replacement for the sandpaper, and thus, more accurately, to provide a scraping, rather than merely a sanding, capability to thesander 10, there is provided according to the present invention a surface-scraping attachment, generally designated 30 in FIG. 1. Attachment 30 includes a generally planar body 32 which, as illustrated, has a larger horizontal extent than the vibrating pad 14 so that when the pad is aligned centrally in relation to the body 32, opposite ends 34 and 36 of the body extend in overlapping relation beyond corresponding opposite ends of the pad 14. Appropriately mounted, as by bolts 38 or the like, on each of the body ends 34 and 36 are identically fabricated L-shaped surface-scraping blades 40. The short depending legs 42 of each blade 40 has a beveled scraping edge 44 which is advantageously located in a clearance position below the undersurface of the body 32 and is oriented in fac ing relation to a work surface having paint, corrosion, et cetera, which it is desirable to remove by scraping action of the edge 44 in relation thereto.

A preferred manner of completing the connection of the attachment 30 to the sander 10 so that vibration of the pad 14 is imparted to the attachment 30 contemplates use of connecting brackets 46 and 48. Since these brackets are structurally identical, the description of one will suffice. Specifically, as is best illustrated in FIG. 2A in conjunction with FIGS. 1 and 2, bracket 46 has a front portion 50 consisting of a horizontally oriented wall and two vertically depending end walls which cooperate to bound a front opening 52. It is contemplated that the brackets 46 and 48, prior to attachment to the body 32, will be placed in their operative positions about the opposite ends of the vibrating pad 14, all as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 2A. This is done by projecting the end of pad 14 and the sandpaper support lip 28 into the front opening 52. Friction grip 18 is then moved into gripping contact against the front portion 50. Each of the brackets, as exemplified by the illustration of bracket 46 in FIG. 2A, includes a curved portion 54 which functions as a stop or limit preventing lateral shifting movement of the attachment 30 relative to the sander 10. Each of the brackets then terminate in horizontally oriented or flat portions 56 which are attached by being bolted, as at 58, to the attachment body 32. To aid in proper positioning of the brackets 46 and 48 in relation to cooperating ends of the pad 14, an elongated slot 60, rather than a circular opening, is provided in the bracket flat portion 56 to accommodate the shanks of the bolts making the bolted connections 58.

As an alternative to the L-shaped surface-scraping blade 40, use may also be made of a flat version thereof, designated 61 in FIG. 6.

Naturally, the use of two surface-scraping blades 40 at opposite ends of the attachment body 32 provides maximum surface-scraping capability. However, in some instances, it may be advantageous to use only a single blade 40, at which time a spacing bracket 62 is advantageously used to hold the unit in an angular orientation relative to the work surface 64, all as is clearly illustrated in FIG. 3. By a comparison of FIGS. 3 and 4, it should be readily appreciated that the spacing bracket 62 has three legs, legs 65 having openings 66 for the bolt connections made through aligning openings 68 in the attachment body 32 (see FIG. 1) during the completion of the mounting of the bracket 62 in depending relation from the attachment body 32. The opposite leg 68, in practice, contacts the work surface 64, thereby holding the rear portion of the attachment 30 in a clearance position from the work surface while the scraping edge 44, imparted with vibrating motion via vibrating pad 14, moves through scraping strokes relative to the surface 64.

For completeness sake, in FIGS. 8 and 8A another form of sandpaper-gripping means, generally designated 70, are illustrated, and are shown to lend themselves as effectively as the previously described gripping means 18 and 20 to facilitating an operative connection of the sander 10 in a central location to the surface-scraping attachment 30 hereof. Specifically, the same mounting brackets 46 and 48 are utilized, but in this instance, the front portions 50 thereof are frictionally engaged by a knurled gripping cylinder 72, which is rotated by a screwdriver, as at 74, until firmly frictionally engaging each bracket front protion 50.

From the above description, it should be readily appreciated that, merely by disconnecting the bolt connections 38, one or both of the surface-scraping blades 40 can be replaced by a new blade in the event that the scraping edge 44 thereon is worn dull or otherwise becomes ineffective for the purposes intended. Also, by disconnecting the boltconnections 58, the attachment 30 is readily removed from the sander upon proper mounting of a sandpaper sheet thereon. Thus, unit 1(1) has both a sanding and scraping capability, and is readily converted from one use to the other in the simple manner as herein described.

A latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure, and in some instances, some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention herein.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a vibrating-type sander having a vibrating pad depending therefrom and an attachment useful for surface-scraping service operatively adapted to be powered by said vibrating pad comprising a planar attachment body of larger extent than said vibrating pad to thereby define opposite operative ends thereon adapted to have clearance positions in opposite directions extended beyond corresponding opposite ends of said vibrating pad, connecting means on one planar surface of said attachment body for mounting said vibrating pad centrally thereto, at least one selectively replaceable surface-scraping blade adapted to be operatively detachably mounted in depending relation from said opposite planar surface of said attachment body adjacent one operative end thereof, and a spacing bracket mounted to extend from said underside of said body to angularly orient said attachment in relation to said work surface.

2. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein said connecting means includes first gripping means located adjacent opposite ends of said vibrating pad and cooperating second gripping means disposed in aligned relation therewith on said attachment body, and an additional selectively replaceable surface-scraping blade detachably mounted adjacent said other operative end of said attachment body to maximize the scraping capability of said attachment, each said surface-scraping blade consisting of an L-shaped body formed with a scraping edge along one leg thereof and oriented with said scraping edge in said facing relation to said work surface and having said other leg thereof bolted to said attachment body. 4 

1. In combination, a vibrating-type sander having a vibrating pad depending therefrom and an attachment useful for surfacescraping service operatively adapted to be powered by said vibrating pad comprising a planar attachment body of larger extent than said vibrating pad to thereby define opposite operative ends thereon adapted to have clearance positions in opposite directions extended beyond corresponding opposite ends of said vibrating pad, connecting means on one planar surface of said attachment body for mounting said vibrating pad centrally thereto, at least one selectively replaceable surface-scraping blade adapted to be operatively detachably mounted in depending relation from said opposite planar surface of said attachment body adjacent one operative end thereof, and a spacing bracket mounted to extend from said underside of said body to angularly orient said attachment in relation to said work surface.
 2. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein said connecting means includes first gripping means located adjacent opposite ends of said vibrating pad and cooperating second gripping means disposed in aligned relation therewith on said attachment body, and an additional selectively replaceable surface-scraping blade detachably mounted adjacent said other operative end of said attachment body to maximize the scraping capability of said attachment, each said surface-scraping blade consisting of an L-shaped body formed with a scraping edge along one leg thereof and oriented with said scraping edge in said facing relation to said work surface and having said other leg thereof bolted to said attachment body. 